Turn Back The Clock: High School Careers Revisited

Welcome to Turn Back The Clock: High School Careers Revisited where we interview the world's top distance runners about their high school (and college careers). This interview is with Canadian miler/1500 meter runner Kevin Sullivan.

Sullivan is only 27 years but he's been at the top of the sport of track and field for a long-time. At age 14, he ran a 1:53 for 800 meters and as a senior in high school her ran a sub 4-minute mile - a feat that gained him only a fraction of the attention that it earned American Alan Webb.

Sullivan enjoyed a stellar college career at the University of Michigan where he was a two-time NCAA indoor champion in the mile and one-time champion outdoors in the 1500 meter.  On the international circuit, Sullivan has  shined for Canada and has competed in five outdoor world outdoor track and field championships and one Olympic Games.  In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Sullivan earned a career highlight by finishing 5th.  

In attention to being a professional runner, Sullivan also is a volunteer assistant coach for the his alma mater, Michigan, where he trains and coaches the two most recent additions to the high school sub-4 minute club in Alan Webb and fellow Canadian Nathan Brannen.

Click here if you want to read Sullivan's interview about his entire running career and specifically his plans for the 2002 season.

The Kevin Sullivan File

Post-collegiate p.r.'s:
1500m: 3:31.71 (2000)
Mile: 3:50.26 (2000)

Click here for page listing IAAF statistics on Sullivan.

Interview conducted on January 22, 2002 by Robert Johnson.

LRC: Can you tell us a little about how you got into running? I know by age 14 you were running an amazing 1:53 for 800 meters so you must have started before that.

SULLIVAN: I got involved through elementary school. We had a field day and I won a couple of races there, went on to the city meet and was 2nd there. My principal then suggested that I go to a local track club. A few months later I went out and started training with them and things took off from there. I was about 12 years old when I got started.

LRC: How much were you running back then, when you were 12, 13, 14?

SULLIVAN: We had practice with the club twice a week so I was running at least twice  a week. But I was probably running 4 or 5 times a week.  However, I did all kinds of other stuff.  I played hockey, soccer, football.  I played golf all summer.  I was always very active. It wasn't just a running thing. I was very active.

LRC: So when did you start to give up the other sports and focus on running?

SULLIVAN: Right around the time I got into high school . I pretty much quit my other sports and got into running.

LRC: If a highschooler asked you, what are the keys to being successful? What one thing would you tell them?

SULLIVAN: I think one of the keys is to have fun with it. I think that's why I've been successful. The sport has always been fun for me. I never got into the sport with ideas of having huge success or making money or things like that. You've got to enjoy it first of all.

LRC: Let's look at sort of the opposite of the previous question, if there was one thing you could tell a high school runner not to do, what would it be?

SULLIVAN: One of my big beliefs is that you've got to train to race. A lot of times kids get sucked into running 3 or 4 races at a meet. I think more emphasis should be place on doing the training than going out and doing so many races - otherwise they get their potential sucked out of them.

LRC: Now that you have had great success and are making a living at something you really love, how enjoyable is that?

SULLIVAN: I think it's great. There's not a lot of athletes in sport especially  our sport who don't get to do this full-time. I really benefited and appreciate the opportunity I've been given and make the most of it - do my best.

LRC: How much mileage were you running in highschool?

SULLIVAN: 60 miles is the most I ever got up to during the cross country season. I was probably doing 30 or 40 a week during the track season.

LRC: How did you end up choosing to go to Michigan for college and why did you end up staying to train there after you graduated?

SULLIVAN: It really was a combination of things. Great academics was one thing. Ron (Warhurst) is a great coach. I was comfortable with Ron from the start of the recruiting process. Plus (Ann Arbor) is fairly close to home for me - only a 4 hour drive, so I could get home and my parents could get down for meets and stuff like that.
       The reason I stayed is that things were working well for me. I didn't see the need to uproot myself for no reason - it just wouldn't be worth the time and effort.

Click here if you want to read Sullivan's interview about his entire running career and specifically his plans for the 2002 season.

Questions, comments or suggestions? Please email the LetsRun.com staff at letsrun@letsrun.com/